Dear GM Watch

Very recently the Greenpeace campaign against the use of GE feed achieved an important step in Switzerland: all big retailers in Switzerland committed to phase out GE animal feed in meat products - even in imported poultry or meat products!

I think it is high-time to communicate the current state of GE free Switzerland:-)!?

Attached is a short text about the Swiss situation - probably the most GE free country worldwide... Small. But GE free.

I would appreciate very much if you published the article below. thanks.

Marianne
Marianne Kuenzle
Genschutz-Kampagne
Heinrichstr. 147, Postfach, CH-8031 Zuerich Phone +41 44 447 41 41, Mobile +41 79 410 76 48 Fax +41 44 447 41 99 http://www.greenpeace.ch/

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GE and Switzerland

While the rest of the world wrestles with a biotech industry determined to own and contaminate the world's food and fields, tiny Switzerland in its quiet, efficient and pragmatic way is eliminating GE from its fields, its food and its society.

11% of Swiss farmers are now organic. Supermarkets such as Coop carry as extensive a range of organic foods as you will find anywhere. They even have begun to carry organic food produced regionally - and labeled as such. A Coop fund is supporting organic research projects and the second largest Swiss retailer now also is launching SlowFood products.

While domestically labeled animal products have been produced with GE free feed for a while, more recently, Coop and the biggest retailer Migros have agreed to undertake the process of ensuring that all imported meat is raised on GE free feed, too. Smaller supermarket chains Denner and Spar have now done the same.

And one of the most conservative societies in Europe put this issue to its people in a referendum in November 2005 and overwhelmingly the public supported a 5 year ban on the growing of GE crops. The referendum vote was unprecedented in Swiss history. It is the first time ever that a referendum has passed in every canton, and it is only one of 14 referenda ever to be approved by the Swiss people.

No one would accuse the Swiss of being anti-technology. No one would accuse the Swiss of acting rashly. No one would accuse the Swiss of taking steps without ensuring that they will benefit.

At the same time, however, almost no one is recognizing how significant these steps have been.

As we all face the latest contamination this time of rice, the world's most important staple food, it is perhaps time to remember that we don't need to find solutions to the problems of GE we only need to implement those that have already been found.